Perhaps one more factor contributing to higher scoring - improved FT shooting. League wide, FT shooting is at .762, down slightly from last seasons .767. However, the top scoring teams are shooting FTs at a record pace. Last year, only three teams in the league topped a team FT% of .800. They were: This year, the Blazers are on pace to shatter the 29-year old NBA all time team FT% record of .832 by BOS in 1989-90. The Blazers are currently at .861, with two other teams (SAS and CLE) also threatening to break the record at .830. All total, there are currently 8 teams with a team FT% > than .800. They are: Also of note, of the top 10 scoring teams in the league, six of them are shooting above .800 FT%. Obviously, there are other factors at play (3-point shooting, pace, hand checking as a "point of emphasis", etc.), but league wide team scoring average is up 5.4 points per game 106.3 to 111.7, with teams making an average of 2 more FTs per game (18.6 compared to 16.6 last season). Teams re shooting more FTs on average, and the good teams are making them at a higher percentage. BNM
I think you're onto something: larger rims. That explains so much. That Adam Silver is one sneaky SOB. BNM
The best thing I can come up with is that in the late 90s/early 2000s everyone wanted to dunk like Mike. There was a lot of super athletic guys that could attack the rim, but shooting was a lost art. I remember watching games from the 70s and 80s and being amazed at how everyone could shoot the ball, and shoot it well. We have seen a shooting Renaissance in the past 10 years or so. Everyone wants to be Curry. Personally I love it. I love people who can shoot the ball. I don't miss the plodding bullshit that was Shaq being unstoppable in the paint (partly from his sheer size and talent, but also because of the refs).
